T.S. Eliot: Early Poems

Focusing on Prufrock, this class will examine Eliot's first poems and their views on alienation, love, personal identity and the other. We will also analyze how Eliot crafted his poems, especially his use of allusion and quotation of past masters' works as a complement to his own imagery. Most importantly, we'll try to answer every reader's most important question: what the hell are these poems about?

Although our main focus is The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, based on time available and participants' interests, we may also dip into sections of The Wasteland.